Monday, 12 p.m.: Clark OEM Says Be Ready to Evacuate in Flood Prone Areas

Clark Emergency Management Director Jerry Fewkes is asking Clark residents in flood prone areas to be ready to evacuate if necessary. A message submitted through UC First Alert stated: "Clark residents living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to evacuate as early as possible if flooding conditions start to occur in their area. As the storm conditions start to get more severe it could be very dangerous for the residents and the first responders involved in trying to evacuate people from their homes."

"We know the area off Oak Ridge is the primary area for flooding and somewhat down by the Valley Road bridge," Fewkes told Patch. "If it looks like it’s starting to get into that, we are trying to make people realize they need to think about getting out sooner than later. If storm gets worse, then we are dealing with a worse situation with higher winds and rain that makes it more dangerous for them to evacuate."

Fewkes is not anticipating any mandatory evacuation orders for areas of Clark at this time and has the Clark CERT team on standby if a shelter is designated for the town. During Hurricane Irene, the Brewer gym became a Red Cross Shelter, but that has not happened as of yet for Sandy.

Fewkes says the Clark Department of Public Works is continuing with trying to remove leaves from the streets before the rain picks up. 

Fewkes says the worst part of the storm will happen later tonight and tomorrow. and tells residents to anticipate emergency conditions for a couple days, not just a few hours, as the storm passes.

Clark emergency officials will be meeting again at 3 p.m. today. If there is more news to tell residents, they may have a new broadcast on TV36 this afternoon. 

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